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Puppy Love

Black, white, red, yellow and brown; large or small; male or female; young or old; all the dogs participating in Saturday’s fourth annual Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals Walk-And-Wag-Athon all had one thing in common: their owners care about animals.

Bringing in $1,380 to the organization, this year’s fundraising event nearly doubled last year’s take of $727.

Nearly three dozen walkers and their dogs raised $923 in pledges, with the remainder made in free will donations for lunch and breakfast, animal artwork, blanket raffles, onsite pictures, dog treats and a pet supply rummage sale of donated items.

“We raised more than last year in pledges,” said event organizer Tracy Lee. “This is totally great.”

Hale Kringlie, grandson of founding SVFA member Kay Kringlie, raised the most pledges in the youth division at $120 while the “5 Amigos” team of Elizabeth and Kevin Borg, Tim and Jo Matz, Chery, Carrie, Emily and Mikaela Woodruff, Paula Kent and Doreen Bohn raised $123.

The Walk-And-Wag began as an effort to raise funds to build the dog park in Chautauqua Park. The funds are now used to pay for the cost of spaying/neutering and microchipping every animal that comes into their foster care program. SVFA members Kathy Martin and Stacie Leier said the $30 microchip is invaluable if a pet goes missing.

“If they get lost the police will pick them up and take them to the vet clinic, scan them, and then there reads the number in a nationwide registration,” Martin said. “It helps; it’s a really big deal.”

Martin said when lost animals are brought into a clinic, scanning for a microchip is a routine practice.

Leier said microchipping an animal is a simple procedure.

“It’s a flat microchip and they just insert it under the skin,” Leier said. “You can feel it when you pet the animal. Our cats are microchipped and you can’t even tell if you’re looking for it.”